Its France, 1761. Beyond the glittering court of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour at Versailles, lies Paris, a capital in the grip of crime and immorality ...A police officer disappears and Nicolas Le Floch, a young recruit to the force, is instructed to find him. When unidentified human remains suddenly come to light, he seems to have a murder investigation on his hands. As the city descends into Carnival debauchery, Le Floch will need all his skill, courage and integrity to unravel a mystery which threatens to implicate the highest in the land. This is the first in a series of six historical crime novels which has sold in excess of 400,000 copies in French. The author brings eighteenth century Paris vividly to life and the story features real-life characters Madame de Pompadour and Loius XV as well as engaging hero Nicolas le Floch. It is soon to be adapted for French Television. AUTHOR: Jean-Francois Parot is a Diplomat, currently French ambassador to an African country. He is also an historian specialising in 18th century Paris. He lives in a chateau on the Loire. REVIEW: 'Jean-Francois Parot's evocation of the eighteenth century Paris is richly imagined and full of fascinating historical snippets...the first in a promising series of French period mysteries, and if the other titles are half as good as this one, they will certainly be worth looking out for'. The Mail on Sunday.<< 'Has all the twists, turns and surprises the genre demands'. The Independent on Sunday<< 'A terrific debut...brilliantly evokes the casual brutality of a life in eighteenth-century France'. The Sunday Times. SELLING POINTS: Fist in series of six historical ccrime novels. Series has sold 400,000 copies in French. Reads like a cross between a Maigret Mystery and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Bribgs 18th century Paris vividly to life and features real-life characters Madame de Pompadour and Louis XV. Soon to be adapted for French television.